


Playing It This Way

by Rachel Wilder (rwilder)



Category: Nashville (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 12:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rwilder/pseuds/Rachel%20Wilder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Beginning with an alternative take on episode 3.13, Rayna and Deacon face multiple obstacles as they work their way back to one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing It This Way

Title:  **Playing It This Way**  
Category: TV Shows » Nashville  
Author: Rachel Wilder  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: General  
Published: 02-22-15, Updated: 03-04-15  
Chapters: 10, Words: 20,966

* * *

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

* * *

Deacon looked down at his phone. It was Rayna calling. He had to be honest-he'd been avoiding her and Maddie. He wasn't ready to tell them about the cancer and he wasn't sure he could keep it from her if he saw her. It had been hard enough that afternoon with Maddie during her guitar lesson.

The call ended but then she immediately called back. Reluctantly, he answered the call.

"Hey, Ray," he said, not trusting his voice to say any more than that. Hopefully she'd just spit out what was so important.

"Deacon-sorry, I know I said I needed some time, but something has come up. I need to talk to you. Can I come over?" she asked.

He looked over at the kitchen, with Scarlett's cures and potions spread across the countertop.

"Uh, can we meet somewhere else? Percy Warner? By the steps?" he offered instead. "I can be there in 20 minutes or so."

"Sure," Rayna replied. "I'll see you there."

He hung up and stuck the phone in his pocket. What in the world could this be about?

* * *

Deacon pulled up and parked next to Rayna's Escalade. He could see her waiting down by the steps. He looked up at the sunny sky and smiled. It was an amazing mid-winter day with unseasonable warm temps. Nice enough to use it as an excuse to not have Rayna at the house.

"Hey, Ray," he said as he walked up to her. She smiled and he sat down next to her. "Nice day."

"Uh huh," she agreed, then reached into her purse and pulled out a sheaf of papers. She handed it over to him.

He looked down. It was a contract. With Edgehill Republic. And Maddie.

"What is this?" he asked as he flipped through the pages, finally coming to the last one with Teddy's signature on it. "Did you know about this? Maddie didn't say anything when she was over today."

Rayna shook her head. "First I heard of it was when a diamond necklace showed up at Highway 65 for Maddie with a note from Jeff welcoming her to the label."

"I thought you'd talked about this...that she was going to wait until she was done with school. I thought Teddy was on-board with that."

Rayna sighed and took the contract back from him. "Yeah, I thought we were on the same page. He knows I don't approve of this, but...well, the thing about Teddy is I can never figure out what's gonna happen next with him these days."

"What are we gonna do?" Deacon asked. "Can we get her out of it, is that legal with only his signature on it?"

Rayna shifted so she was looking straight at him. "Yes, it's legal and no, Maddie doesn't know about it. It was something Teddy and Jeff cooked up and according to my lawyers, there's one way out of it."

"What's that," he said slowly, feeling pretty sure he knew what she was going to say.

"We need to go to court and change her paternity on her birth certificate," Rayna replied. "It only takes one parent to sign a contract, but we both know that you and I are the parents and Teddy doesn't have any right to sign that contract, or at least he won't once we get the judge to rule."

Deacon shook his head. "I don't know about that, Rayna, I mean we're doing really well…"

"Deacon, I've tried everything else," Rayna interrupted. "I hate to blow everyone's life up this way, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let Jeff Fordham get his hands on my little girl. You've seen what he does to his artists...if this is what it takes, this is what it takes."

* * *

Deacon got back into his truck and headed back toward East Nashville. Rayna had asked him to come for dinner that night so they could talk to Maddie together. This was not going to go well. He loved being in Maddie's life, but he also knew that she loved Teddy and that she saw him as her father as well. Then there was Daphne to consider. It had all been working as well as it could have. This could shatter that careful balance.

As he pulled up in front of his house and got out of the truck he realized that one good thing had happened-he hadn't thought about being sick for the last hour. Was it fair to start all this up and then have to drop another bomb shell on them?

Or was this something he could do for Rayna and Maddie-something that would give them this protection even if he was gone?

He closed the door of the truck, locked it and headed back into the house. He had a couple of hours to figure it out.

* * *

Rayna looked down at the paternity test they had run so many years ago, the one Maddie had found and had blown everything up by forcing her to reveal the truth about Maddie's paternity. This paper might make the difference going forward.

She laid it back down on the kitchen counter and picked up her wine glass to take a sip as the back door opened.

"Hey," Deacon said as he walked in and dropped his shoulder bag on the counter.

She took another sip and set the glass down. "Tandy took Daphne out for dinner. I thought it might be easier to talk to Maddie alone."

"You know she's not going to take this very well, don't you?" Deacon asked.

Rayna nodded.

"Have you thought about how we might handle it, the options we might offer her?" Deacon asked.

"Like?" Rayna replied.

"Like another contract. With a label that would care about a young artist?" Deacon said as he pulled up the stool next to hers.

"I don't know about that, Deacon. You know I want her to wait, at least until she's 18."

"But we're not going to be able to do that, Rayna. She wants it. And now you're about to take that chance away from her and in the process erase Teddy's legal role in her life. She's likely to go to court herself to get emancipated like you did and what judge is going to stop her?

"You started your career when you were only a year older. I know why you want her to wait, but she can't see that for herself. Why not sign her to Highway 65, let her make the music the way she wants to, with good people looking after her, let her tour with you or me. I think it's the only way she's going to be able to deal with what we need to do now."

Rayna looked over at him. Of course Deacon was right. The part about Teddy was bad enough, but Maddie wanted this recording contract so badly, she wasn't going to care how she got it. Rayna and Deacon would just be the people stopping her and who knows what would happen next.

"I hate that he's forcing my hand," Rayna replied.

"Jeff or Teddy?" Deacon asked.

Rayna shrugged. "Either. Both. Damn them."

The door opened again and Maddie walked in carrying her guitar.

"Hey, honey," Rayna said getting up from the counter. "I invited Deacon over for dinner-thought we all needed a little time together."

Maddie looked from her mom to Deacon and then back. "Okay…" she said. "But I thought you both needed some more time."

"Well, something came up and we need to talk," Rayna answered. "Why don't you put your things away and come back down here. I made lasagna."

"Deacon said that maybe I could go out on tour with him this summer," Maddie said about half way through dinner. "What do you think, Mom?"

"She's getting pretty good on that guitar," Deacon offered. "Maybe some smaller venues to get started."

"This is really what you want, isn't it?" Rayna asked. "You think you're ready?"

Maddie nodded. "I am. I want to start focusing on my music. I'm almost as old as you were, and Juliette was only 14, so was Taylor Swift. I can do it, Mom."

"Have you thought about where you'd want to sign?" Rayna asked.

Maddie smiled. "Well, I know there's this new label looking for talent, who's supposed to be good for young artists."

"Oh really," Rayna replied. "So, you'd want to sign with Highway 65?"

Maddie looked at her mom and then Deacon. "Seriously? You'd sign me?"

Rayna looked serious. "Yes, Maddie, I would sign you. But that's part of what we need to talk to you about. We...we have a little situation." She reached across and took Maddie's hand in hers. "You know that Deacon and I only care about what's best for you. And I know sometimes what we do doesn't always make the most sense, but it's only because of how much we love you."

Maddie pulled her hand from her mother's. "What do you mean?"

Rayna signed and looked at Deacon.

"Honey, your dad, Teddy, signed a contract with Jeff Fordham and Edgehill Records."

Maddie looked at them both confused. "Dad signed a contract?"

"For you," Deacon explained. "He signed you to Edgehill."

"But, I want to sign with you, Mom," Maddie replied.

"I know, baby. I didn't know anything about this. Your dad...Teddy...didn't tell me."

"Do you have to sign with them? If I don't want to? If I didn't know?" Maddie asked.

"No…" Rayna started. "We can get it voided, but we're going to have to go to court."

"For the contract?" Maddie asked.

Deacon reached over to take Maddie's other hand. "No, to have the court change your birth certificate and put my name on it, that's the only way to void the contract. If Teddy isn't you legal father, then he can't sign a contract for you."

Maddie looked first at Deacon, then at Rayna, her eyes filling with tears. "And that's the only way?"

"I tried everything else, baby girl," Rayna explained. "It's just a piece of paper. You still have both of your dads."

Maddie shook her head. "No, if I do this, he won't understand. Why would he do this? Why would he make me choose like this?" She started to cry.

Deacon moved over and took Maddie in his arms. "I don't know, honey."

* * *

Deacon sat downstairs while Rayna went up with Maddie to get ready for bed. They were all upset, but Maddie had been inconsolable.

He didn't like that they were throwing Teddy under the bus this way, but at the same time, he agreed with Rayna-they would do anything necessary to keep Maddie away from Jeff Fordham.

His phone beeped and he looked down to see a text from Scarlett.

_Where are you? Did you take your meds with you?_

He quickly typed back that he was at Rayna's and yes, he had them with him. He looked up toward the steps, but didn't see or hear any sign of Rayna. He went over and pulled the pill case from his shoulder bag.

He poured a glass of water from the tap and put the pile of pills in his hand, quickly tossing it in his mouth and swallowing them down with a gulp of water.

"You on a health kick?" Rayna said as she walked in the room.

He turned to face her. "It's Scarlett. She's got me taking all these vitamins after I had that cold on the road at the beginning of November. How's Maddie?"

Rayna shrugged. "I don't know. Sad. Mad at Teddy. But then also excited about me signing her. I want to feel bad about this, but I'm just so mad at him too that it's hard to feel too sorry for him."

Deacon held his arms out. "C'mere, Ray."

She stepped into his embrace. "It's like you told Maddie-it's just a piece of paper. And it's a means to an end. One day Teddy will realize that too," Deacon assured her.

He held her for a moment longer, then stepped back. "Hey, I should get going. Call me tomorrow and let me know what time for the blood test and court."

"I will," Rayna answered. She looked at him and smiled. "Thanks, Deacon. For everything."

He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on her forehead. "Always, Rayna."

He picked up his bag and slipped it over his shoulder.

"And Deacon?" she started.

"Yeah?" He turned back toward her.

"You'd tell me if everything wasn't okay, wouldn't you?" she asked.

He forced a smile on his face and nodded. "Of course I would, Rayna. You're my family. And I love you."

Then before he said anything else, he turned and walked back out of her house. They were going to get through this with Maddie. And then he would tell her everything. Promise.

* * *

_Author's note: The title is a line from a Chip Esten song "Pretend It Isn't There". I think this is a one-shot...but I'm not sure._

* * *

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

* * *

Deacon walked into the house to find Scarlett sitting on the couch writing in her journal.

"You were at Rayna's?" she asked, setting her journal down next to her, but pen tucked in to keep her place.

Deacon dropped his bag to the floor and sat down in the chair. "Yeah, we had to talk to Maddie."

"You told them?" Scarlett asked.

Deacon shook his head. "No, not yet. Something else came up and I...I'm gonna tell them, I just had to get them through this first."

"What's going on?"

He explained about the paternity and Maddie's contract.

"Jeff Fordham," Scarlett muttered. "Good for Rayna, but…"

"I know," Deacon responded. "I mean, part of me is happy to just tell the whole world that legally, in every way that I'm Maddie's father, but I wish it wasn't happening this way."

"So what happens next?" Scarlett asked.

Deacon rubbed his hand across this stubble on his chin. "Well, I gotta go down to the hospital and take a blood test for paternity and then go to court with Rayna. Sounds like they can rush the test results and hopefully we get things wrapped up tomorrow or the next day."

"And then?" Scarlett asked.

Deacon leaned forward, his elbows wresting on his knees. "Well, then I guess I better tell my family what's going on."

* * *

"Things look good, Deacon," Dr. Rand said as Deacon slipped his shirt back on. "As you know, we need to keep you on your current regimen, keep checking your levels, monitor the transplant list and…"

"Keep a positive thought?" Deacon added. "Can I bother you for one more thing?"

The doctor looked up from Deacon's chart. "Sure, what can I do for you?"

Deacon handed him the slip of paper. "I need a blood test-a paternity test, with the results rushed, if possible."

The doctor looked down at the slip. "Is this another possible donor?"

Deacon shook his head. "No, it's my daughter. I wasn't initially listed on her birth certificate, but for a bunch of reasons, we need to get that changed now."

The doctor sat back down on the stool across from Deacon. "Is she possibly a donor? I know it's hard after what happened with your sister, but I would encourage you to explore any possibilities that might be out there."

"She's only 15," Deacon replied. "And I couldn't ask that. I couldn't put her in that kind of danger."

The doctor nodded. "No, we wouldn't consider a donor that age, plus her size would really require so much of her organ. So, have you talked with her? With her mother? Scarlett sounded like you were keeping things pretty much to yourself."

"So she said that," Deacon replied, with a quick laugh. "Yeah, I've just been trying to figure out things for myself, hoping I might have some good news to share first, but with this other stuff going on now, I'm thinking it might be time to tell them."

Dr. Rand stood back up and put his hand on Deacon's shoulder. "Well, if I can help in any way, if they have questions or want to talk, I'm happy to do that-with your permission, of course."

Deacon stood up and held his hand out to the doctor. "Thanks. I might take you up on that."

Dr. Rand shook Deacon's hand. "I'll send a tech in to draw that blood and get it up to the lab immediately with a rush order. What do you want me to do with the results?"

"The lawyer's name is on the form. Just have them fax the results over there."

"Should I call you?" the doctor asked.

Deacon shook his head. "Nah, I already know the results."

* * *

Deacon sat next to Rayna in the front row of the courtroom. In a sign of impending defeat, Teddy had not shown up. Neither had Jeff Fordham, although he had sent along three attorneys to represent Edgehill Republic.

"Ms. Jaymes, I've received your petition," the judge said from her position on the bench in front of them. "With the supporting paperwork, I am issuing the amended birth certificate and I declare the contract between Maddie Conrad and Edgehill Republic to be void."

She dropped her gavel and Rayna turned to Deacon. "Thank god," she said as she hugged him.

"Ray?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied, pulling back.

"We'd better talk."

* * *

The pedestrian bridge across the Cumberland River was largely empty, the tourist crowds sparse on a weekday. They walked about halfway across, stopping at one of the overlooks.

"What is it?" she asked as they both looked out across the river. leaning on the railing of the bridge.

"The other night," he started.

She turned so that she could see him, but his eyes were still locked across the water on the buildings down below on Broadway.

"Yes," she answered.

He looked down, but still wouldn't look at her. "They weren't vitamins."

She put her hand over his. "What is it, Deacon?"

He turned so that now he could see her, her face now covered in concern. "I'm sick. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner, but it's bad and I just didn't have the words right then. I'm sorry about that."

She slid her arms around him and pulled him tight, feeling his breath hitch as he stifled a cry. She couldn't think of another time when he'd cried with her.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

He pulled back, raising his hand up to brush away the tear that was trying to escape. "Shoot, I never used to cry. Cried in front of Maddie the other day."

"What is it, Deacon?" she asked again.

He looked down at his feet and then back up again at her. "It's cancer. In my liver."

His liver. Her great unspoken fear. First in the early years it was him driving drunk and cracking up his car, then later the pills and an overdose, but as time had gone on and she was afraid he'd never stop drinking, she had been afraid that his liver would just give up.

And now it had.

"And I know I've gotta tell Maddie, but Ray, it's breaking my heart. I just found her. I can't…" He broke down again.

"But what do they say? What's the treatment? Who's your doctor?" She had so many questions.

"Scarlett's been taking good care of me, but they've got me on a transplant list," Deacon shared. "I guess I was thinking that I'd find a liver and then I'd tell you, when we had good news, but these past few days, the test, going to court-I just realized that I needed to share this with my family."

A sad look crossed Rayna's face. "A transplant?"

Deacon nodded. "It's pretty much the only thing they can do, and maybe that won't work either."

She put her arms around him again and pulled him to her. "It's gonna work, Deacon. We're not ready to lose you. Not now."

* * *

Rayna drove back to Belle Meade, not even noticing half the drive. She sat at one light until the car behind her honked. She looked up and saw the light was green. She crossed through the intersection and pulled over. She reached in her purse for her phone and dialed.

"Bucky, it's Rayna. Can you...can you push things on my schedule? I need a couple of days. No, things went fine at court, it's taken care of, but I need the rest of the week. Can we make that happen?"

As Bucky agreed to rearrange her schedule she ended the call, the dialed again.

"Hey, it's me. Yeah...can we go away for a few days?"

With Deacon's agreement on the other line, she made one last call.

"Tandy, can you come stay with the girls for the week?"

Her sister agreed. It was set. All she needed to do now was go home, pack a bag and wait for Deacon to pick her up. A few days. For them. And then they would tell Maddie.

TBC

_Author's note: Gosh, thanks for all the lovely reviews. Okay, you convinced me...it was not just a one-shot. Look for more this week._

* * *

**Chapter 3: Chapter 3**

* * *

"You sure this is a good idea?"

Deacon looked up from the overnight bag where he was throwing in a couple days worth of clothes to find Scarlett standing in the door to his bedroom.

"I saw Dr. Rand this morning. I don't have another appointment for a week. I packed my medication," Deacon replied.

"And if something happens, like the other night when Mama was here?" Scarlett asked as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Deacon walked over to Scarlett and gently put his hand on her shoulder. "I spoke to Rayna, told her what's going on. So, if something happens, she will know what to do. But if you want to talk to her, if that makes you feel better, do it."

Scarlett shook her head, then started to turn away. "But I am going to write some things down for her...I mean for you."

Deacon chuckled. "Whatever will make you feel better. I don't want you worrying while we're gone."

"And just for a few days?" Scarlett called back over her shoulder.

"We'll be back by the end of the week. Promise."

* * *

As Deacon paused while the gate at the end of Rayna's drive opened to let them back out on the street. He reached over into the console of the truck and pulled out a sheet of paper.

"Scarlett made some notes and I had to promise I'd give them to you before we left your house," Deacon explained as he passed it over to Rayna. "I believe it's the  _Guide to the Care and Feeding of Deacon Claybourne_."

Rayna laughed, then looked down at the page filled with Scarlett's neat handwriting. She read along carefully, then looked over at him. "Seizures? Deacon-should we be going at all?"

Deacon kept his eyes on the road. "It happened one time, not even sure if it was a seizure, it was more like some confusion or something, but it was cause I forgot to take a medication and I was stressed. Won't happen again."

"What was stressing you?" Rayna asked.

Deacon looked over at her quickly and smiled. "My sister came to visit."

Rayna laughed. "Wow. Okay, that definitely makes more sense." She gave his arm a playful slap. "I mean, I can't believe you got stressed by a visit from Beverly," she teased.

"Yeah, it was a real laugh a minute," Deacon replied as he pulled the truck onto the freeway, set the cruise control and reached over for Rayna's hand. "Thanks for calling, Ray."

She tightened her fingers around his. "Well, I asked you for some time and you gave it to me. I figured I owed you that conversation before everything else got so mixed up."

Deacon nodded. He knew they had a lot to talk about, but for now, it was nice to just be sitting next to this woman, her hand in his, headed toward the one place that had always given him peace.

* * *

The sun had set when he pulled into the drive next to the cabin. Rayna woke with a start.

"Hey, why'd you let me fall asleep?" she asked, as she undid the seat belt and opened the door to the truck.

"Seemed like maybe you needed it," Deacon replied. "Let me go get things unlocked and then we can bring stuff in."

She stood next to the truck with her purse and overnight bag and looked up at the cabin. It was exactly as she remembered it, but there were also signs that this had been a place of refuge for Deacon in the years they had been apart.

She couldn't help but remember finding him up here earlier in the year, when the news about Maddie's parentage had first come out publicly. The words had felt so sharp at the time, but in many ways, finally telling Deacon how she had hurt after marrying Teddy and Maddie being born was the beginning of them coming back to one another. This place-maybe it was somewhere that could be a part of their beginning, not their end.

As the thought crossed her mind, another darker one came in behind it. One she hadn't been able to bear to think about all day. What if instead of this time being about their new beginning it was about the end. What if she and Deacon couldn't have that happy ending? What if he...she couldn't even say the words in her head. She wouldn't think it.

"Babe?"

She looked up to see him standing in front of her. "Hey, let's get stuff inside and get a fire going. Nice weather or not, it's getting cold out here now the sun's down."

She nodded and followed him inside. There was no time to start thinking about ends.

* * *

"Are you really eating bee pollen?" Rayna asked as she lifted the bottle from the box of groceries Deacon had carried in from the truck.

Deacon looked over from across the kitchen and smiled. "Yes, it is true. Scarlett's made me a bit of a health nut."

Rayna shook her head. "I have to be honest, Deacon, I still can't wrap my head around any of this. Honestly, I can't even think about it. How are you, just so calm and rational."

Deacon came over and leaned against the counter next to her. "Let's just say that my feelings on this topic have evolved over the past little bit. I was, oh...pretty negative about my chances, pretty much giving up any hope."

"What changed that?" Rayna asked quietly.

Deacon put his hand up along her face. "Maddie. You."

She pressed her body up against him. "I'm just not ready…" She couldn't say anymore.

"Neither am I, Ray. That's why I decided to fight with everything I've got. Including bee pollen. And including you. I'm not ready to go."

He leaned in and kissed her, first gently, then with more intensity, pulling her to him. She responded immediately, pressing into him.

She had said she needed time. And he knew they had to talk, but right now, he didn't want to waste any more time talking.

He broke back long enough to lead her back to the bedroom they had shared years ago. The mattress was new, but the quilt his grandma made and the bedframe they bought an auction were the same.

He pulled her shirt off and she did the same for him. Their pants disappeared in quick fashion.

His lips skimmed across the softness of her the skin along her collarbone, the bend in her neck, his hands moving from arm to breast to the taut skin over her abdomen.

As Deacon continued his tender explorations, Rayna found herself examining him. Her heart said he didn't look sick, but her head made her notice things that she hadn't been willing to see earlier.

He looked tired, strained. Even with a smile on his face, she could see the effort it was all costing him. He was thin and swollen at the same time and his skin had begun to take on a sheen of illness.

She turned her attentions back to the matters at hand. Deacon was drawing her into bed with him and she found herself, in his arms, and then joined with him in a way that she had been longing for all these months-even when she would admit it to no one including herself.

* * *

Rayna woke up in the morning to find Deacon wrapped around her, his body pressed up against her back, his legs spooned alongside hers, his arms around her in a way that made her feel like never leaving.

She listened to his even breath as he continued to sleep. She wanted to stay there forever.

But forever wasn't going to wait for them.

When she called off the wedding with Luke, she had asked Deacon for time. It wasn't fair to either one of them for her to run from Luke's bed back to Deacon's.

And she had waited and spent time reflecting on who she was, what she wanted. And given more time, this is probably where she would have ended up.

Probably.

But, now Deacon was sick and the thought of losing him made none of that other stuff matter. Would she always feel that way? She couldn't know. But right now, was there any other place in the world that she should or would be?

No.

"Ray?"

Rayna's thoughts were interrupted by Deacon's voice. She rolled onto her other side so that she was facing him.

"I hope you notice that I didn't steal any of the blankets," she teased.

He kissed her. "I was doing my best to keep you warm."

"Want me to go make some coffee?" she asked.

Deacon sighed. "I'd love to just lay here all day, but yes, I think you should go make some coffee and then I think we should talk."

Rayna carried two mugs of coffee with her into the living room, handing one to Deacon before she curled up next to him on the couch, tucking her feet under her.

They sat quietly drinking their coffee until Deacon set his down on the table. "So…"he started.

Rayna took another sip of the hot liquid and then rested the warm mug on her knee. "Yes…"

Deacon leaned forward and picked up his coffee, taking another drink from it.

Rayna did the same, then laughed. "We really want to talk, don't we?"

Deacon chuckled as well. "Well, ever since I took that pledge to stop talking and starting doing…"

Rayna laughed again, this time harder. "Deacon Claybourne. I'd say that I had never been more surprised by you that that night in the elevator, but honestly, I'd be lying. I thought I knew every single thing about you, and then you just started surprising me all over again."

"Including this last bit," Deacon said quietly.

"Yeah," Rayna replied, her voice lower now. She looked over at him, her eyes beginning to fill with tears. "I will never stop loving you, Deacon. Never."

"I just gotta ask one question, Ray," Deacon replied. "If I wasn't sick, would you be here now?"

Rayna slid closer to him. "I tried to work that out for myself. And the fact is, I can't. But what I decided is, does that matter? I'm not here cause you're sick. I'm here cause I love you and I need to be with you. It's not duty or obligation, it's...it's commitment, Deacon. I'm committed to you, to us, to our family."

Deacon pulled her into his arms. "That's why I'm here, too, babe. You. Me. The girls. Scarlett. That's what's keeping me going."

Rayna reached up and touched him softly on the face. "Tell me what they are doing, what can be done. I want to know all of it."

Deacon took a deep breath. "I collapsed when I was in Memphis, after the tour. Scarlett took me to the hospital there and that's when they found the cirrhosis and the tumor."

"So, it's cirrhosis, as well?" Rayna asked. "How? I mean, maybe ten years ago, but now?"

Deacon shrugged. "Probably had it ten years ago, too. It seems like it doesn't usually make itself known until it's almost too late to do anything about it."

"And it's cancer now?"

Deacon nodded again. "There's one tumor and the biopsy says it's malignant. It's small enough right now that they can do a transplant and that would cure me."

"And if it gets bigger?" Rayna asked.

Deacon shook his head. "They haven't said, but I think that's the doctors' way of saying they can't do anything."

"So, what do we need to do to get the transplant?" Rayna asked, her voice dead serious.

Deacon explained about the MELD score, the donor list and that Scarlett was not a match because of her blood type.

"So, you said Beverly came to visit. Did you get her to do the blood test?" Rayna asked.

Deacon looked away.

"Did she match?" Rayna asked, her voice raising. "She did, didn't she?"

"You gotta understand, Ray," Deacon started.

Rayna stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the lake. She turned back to Deacon. "The hell I need to understand. Are you serious? She's a match and she won't do it?"

Deacon got up and crossed over to her, taking her in his arms. "We'll find another liver. We don't need her."

Rayna pushed away. "I don't know how you can say that. Did she have a reason? Why would she be so selfish?"

Deacon shrugged. "She's Beverly. If she isn't selfish, she's vicious. And once in a while she's pretty sweet. It was actually a really nice visit...I mean, other than the part where she could have saved my life and lied about it and was going to leave without telling Scarlett or me the truth."

Rayna shook her head. "Are you serious?"

Deacon smiled. "As a heart attack. I was afraid Scarlett was going to rip her apart with her two little hands. And, I mean, I get it...Beverly isn't the most rational person, so trying to figure out what's going through her head is almost impossible, but yeah, it was the most surprising and least surprising thing she'd ever done...or not done."

"Think she'd reconsider if I went and talked to her?" Rayna asked.

"I don't know that you could persuade her, Ray. She isn't you biggest fan."

"What about money? Would she do it for money?" Rayna asked. "I'll pay her."

Deacon shook his head. "No, you can't exchange money for organs. It's illegal and knowing Beverly, that would just be the start of a mess we'd never get back out of."

"What about some kind of a PR campaign," Rayna asked. "I mean, after we tell Maddie. Could we try to find our own donor?"

Deacon shrugged. "I mean, we can do it, but I...I did this to myself, Ray. Can I really ask someone to willingly give part of themself to me to make up for my mistakes?"

"Lots of people would do it," Rayna replied, quietly. "I'd do it. Can I get tested?"

Deacon pulled her into his arms. "I love you for asking, but I need you to be there for Maddie."

She slid back out of the embrace. Maddie. After all that had happened in the last year, how could she break her baby's heart one more time?

"Ray."

She looked back over at him. "I know we have to tell her, but we also said we'd be here a few more days. Can we just have some days, for us? Without cancer, without all the other crap, just you and me. We're gonna have to go back and face all of the other music before too long. Can we?"

She looked at him and smiled. "Yes, just you and me." She moved back to him and slipped her arms around him and drew him to her lips. "You and me."

TBC

* * *

**Chapter 4: Chapter 4**

* * *

Rayna looked out over the lake, pulling her jacket close around her. Deacon had finally admitted that he really needed a nap and had gone to lie down.

Much like the night she was supposed to play with Pam Tillis at the Bluebird, she felt the memories washing over her. More than any other place, this cabin was a symbol of the dreams she'd had with Deacon and the bitter memories of having that all torn away. Somehow, it felt fitting to be here now, as if to move on, they had to own all that had happened here.

"Hey."

She looked up to see Deacon standing next to her with two mugs in his hand. "You want some tea?"

She nodded and took the warm mug from him. Deacon sat down in the chair next to her.

"You get some rest?" she asked.

"Yeah, although I gotta admit that afternoon napping isn't really my style. Or it wasn't," Deacon replied. "What you been doing?"

Rayna took a sip from the mug. "Sitting here. Thinking. Remembering."

"Good stuff or bad?" Deacon asked.

She looked over at him, her face tipping up in a small smile. "Both, I guess. I mean, this place, Deacon...even after all these years, it's so much history."

"Yep," Deacon replied. "I think it's how come I couldn't get rid of it. Thought about it. A few times. Couldn't come up here for a few years after you married Teddy, but I don't know, maybe about the time you had Daphne and we had that long break, I just decided that I needed to be here again."

Rayna looked over at him. "I didn't know that," she said quietly.

"That was a hard time, Ray," Deacon admitted. "It was like you were really saying to me that we were done, you'd moved on. I mean, I know you were married and you had a baby with him, but I thought maybe you'd done it cause you had to but when you had Daphne, that just said to me 'move on Deacon, she has' so I came up here, thinking that it would help me."

"And did it?" she asked.

Deacon smiled and shook his head. "Nope. Or maybe it did. Made me decide that I was gonna love you until the day I die, but that us, together, that was over. So, I came back deciding that I'd be your friend and when it was too hard, I'd come up here and remember all the good times."

Rayna looked back out over the water, then turned back to Deacon. "It overwhelms me sometimes."

"What does?" he asked.

"How much time and energy I spend trying to run from this," she gestured between them. "I've been so scared of that pain that I've caused so many others a lot of it to save myself from feeling it again."

"Ray," Deacon started.

"No, I hurt Teddy, I hurt Luke, I hurt the girls. And I hurt you again and again. And in the mean time, I don't feel the pain, but I don't feel the love either. I'm just numb. What does that say about me?"

"I don't actually think that's true," Deacon replied. "And I don't think that we can forget the past, but I also don't think we need to spend every minute focused on it and regretting it. Being sick like this sucks, Ray, but in some ways, it's making me really take stock of the stuff that matters and the stuff that doesn't. And that's a lot easier some days than others."

Rayna looked over and smiled. "You know what this Saturday is?"

Deacon nodded. "Of course. Anniversary of your induction into the Opry. I'll never forget that night."

"I'm thinking we should make it one to remember," she replied. "You up for that?" She looked back over at him.

"Absolutely, Ray. Absolutely."

* * *

_Two days later_

Rayna walked back into her house to find the girls in the kitchen with Tandy.

"Mom!" Daphne called out as she came over to hug Rayna.

"You girls have fun with your Aunt Tandy?" she asked. "Thanks," she said to her sister who was leaning against the kitchen counter.

"You okay?" Tandy asked.

Rayna nodded. "Hey, Maddie, c'mere."

Maddie came over and gave her mom a hug. "So, do we get to talk about my contract?" she asked Rayna.

Rayna laughed. "Well, I do have a gig for you, if you want-you and your sister."

"Yes!" Daphne responded. "What is it?"

"How would you girls like to play at the Opry? With me. And Deacon."

A smile crossed Maddie's face. "Really?"

Rayna pulled her into a hug. "Really. It's the anniversary of my induction into the Opry, this Saturday. So, we'll have to do some rehearsing, but we can do the song we did at the Bluebird."

Maddie looked up at her mom. "I just wrote a new one with Deacon. Last week. Could we try that?"

"Sure, honey," Rayna answered. "You both bring your ideas and we'll try them out with Deacon this afternoon."

* * *

Rayna opened up the back door of the house to find Deacon. "Since when do you ring the bell?" she teased.

He smiled. "Since I've got my hands full of guitars and charts."

She stepped back to let him walk in. "The girls are so excited."

"Good," Deacon replied. "How are you?"

Rayna smiled softly at him. "I'm good. Excited about this music, but I'm also thinking about after and what we've got to do and that makes me sad."

Deacon shook his head. "Don't be sad about that, Ray. Focus on the music, on this family, on us and we'll get to that other stuff later."

They had agreed on the way back from the cabin that they would wait until after the night at the Opry to tell the girls about Deacon's illness. Rayna felt overwhelmed at times by the secret, realizing now that was much of what had been on Deacon's mind when they had talked after she called off the wedding with Luke.

"Girls!" she called as they walked into the kitchen. "Let's go!"

Maddie and Daphne appeared from upstairs and met them in the family room.

"Okay, let's run through a few things and get our set list worked out," Rayna explained. "Since it's a special night, they're giving us four songs."

"You have to start with  _Already Gone_ ," Daphne suggested. "I mean, that's the one you did the night they had you join the Opry, right?"

"Good," Rayna said, making notes on a sheet of paper.

"You want to do a newer one?" Deacon asked.

Rayna shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, we could do  _This Time_  but I'm kind of over it. Maddie and I wrote a new one this week, the one I did with the girls at the Bluebird."

They kept talking, throwing out ideas of different songs they could mix it up on.

"What about the last one?" Maddie asked.

Rayna looked over and smiled at Deacon. "Well, I was thinking we'd have to do the one we did the first time we were at the Opry."

"You sure?" Deacon asked.

Rayna reached over the took his hand. "I'm absolutely sure."

* * *

"Did they seem different to you, tonight?" Maddie asked as Daphne finished brushing her teeth.

"Mom and Deacon?" Daphne asked.

"Duh," Maddie replied.

Daphne thought for a moment. "Maybe. She looked like she was going to cry when we talked about doing  _A Life That's Good_. Is that what you mean?"

"Deacon seemed kind of weird, too," Maddie observed. "Maybe they're getting back together."

"Is that what you want?" Daphne asked as she reached for her hairbrush and started brushing her hair.

Maddie looked over at her sister. "Yeah, it is. They love each other, Daphne. Like really love each other."

Daphne stopped for a moment, quiet. "Do you think…" She paused, then started again. "Do you think that she ever loved Dad?"

Maddie shrugged. "I think so."

Daphne laid down the hair brush and turned to go to her bedroom. "I hope so."

"Daph," Maddie started, "you want me to sleep in your room tonight?"

Daphne looked at her sister for a minute, then nodded. "Yeah, maybe just tonight."

As they girls started out of the bathroom, Rayna moved from the spot in the hall where she had stopped when she heard them talking. She knew that she should give them their privacy, but she couldn't help herself from wanting to know what exactly they were worried about and how she could make it better. Problem was, chances were, she was going to make it worse.

* * *

Deacon reached into his guitar case and pulled out his Martin. Slipping the strap bearing his name over his shoulder, he felt that same feeling that he got every time he played at the Opry. Amazement. Honor. A little bit of fear. Pride.

He strummed the strings lightly and then looked over at Maddie.

"You nervous?" he asked his daughter.

She started to shake her head, then nodded.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "It's normal. Just remember, it's your mom's night. We're there to support her."

"I know," Maddie replied. "But it's…," she started.

"The Opry," Deacon finished.

Maddie smiled at him.

"Want to play through  _A Life That's Good_?" Deacon asked.

Maddie reached for her guitar. "Yes, that would definitely help."

"And Maddie," Deacon added. "Take a breath."

The crowded was cheering, clapping and more than a few of them stamping their feet on the floor.

"Celebrating her induction as a member of the Grand Ole Opry, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for the queen of country music, Ms. Rayna Jaymes."

Rayna smiled at the girls and gave them a quick kiss. "See you in a couple minutes," she said, then she lifted her hands up in greeting to everyone who had come to celebrate with her.

"Thank you!" she called out. "I'm just so proud to be here, with my family at the Opry and all of you wonderful friends. And since we're friends and family, I'm gonna share this night with a few of my friends and family."

She was interrupted by renewed cheers.

"Many of you know, that most of my music years have been with my dear friend Deacon Claybourne by my side, so Deacon, would you come out here, please?"

She extended her arm toward the side of the stage. Deacon quickly appeared, carrying his guitar, clothed in his regular uniform of denim.

"We thought we should do a little mix of old and new, so here's one of our favorites."

The crowd cheered as the opening chords of  _Already Gone_  started. Rayna felt that rush come over her, the joy of performing, singing with Deacon by her side, but as she reached the end of the song more familiar to her than any other, she felt a new kind of sadness wash over her.

_It's a long, long road to independence_  
_But I'm leaving you for Tennessee_  
_I've got demons riding shotgun, telling me not to go_  
_But what they don't know_  
_Is I'm already gone_  
_I'm already gone_

She looked over at Deacon as he held the last chord, the crowd cheering once again and she smiled. Not the "Rayna loves the crowd" smile, but the one that tried to express how she was feeling in that moment.

"Thanks y'all," she called out. "Now, a couple of weeks ago I performed with a couple of new young artists and as always, they just blew me away, so I'd like to call to stage my daughters Maddie and Daphne Conrad."

The crowd cheered again as they girls came out, Maddie slipping on the guitar the roadie handed her.

"So, I've been spending some extra time with these amazing girls of mine, trying to make up for all that time I spent on the road last year and I'm so excited to tell you all that Maddie and I have written a song together and that we'd all like to play it for you tonight. This is called  _Real Life_."

Rayna couldn't help but see the way Deacon watched Maddie play. He was so proud of her.

"Deacon, come join us for this next one," Rayna said as the roadie moved his microphone stand forward.

Deacon started them off on the opening chords, with Maddie coming in right behind him. Rayna smiled and nodded, then began to sing.

_Sittin' here tonight,_  
_By the fire light,_  
_it reminds me I already have more than I should._

The memories washed over her. The four of them on the stage at Fort Campbell, Deacon talking to her earlier that day, saying he didn't blame her for her deception about Maddie's birth, his coming to her after Luke's proposal.

Why had she put them all through this? Lost this time with Deacon? Out of her own fear?

_at the end of the day, Lord I pray_  
_I have a life that's good_

The last notes hung in the air as she hugged first Daphne, then Maddie.

"Maddie and Daphne Conrad!" she called to the crowd.

The girls left the stage and the extra mikes were pulled, so now it was just Deacon and Rayna standing in the center of the stage.

"The first time I was invited to sing at the Opry, I was 19 years old. Mr. Watty White got us started and helped me get signed by a new record label called Edgehill. He also introduced me to a guitar player-maybe to give me lessons, cause I was never that good at playing the guitar.

The crowd laughed.

"And while he was never able to teach me to play guitar, he did a lot of other stuff for me, including writing this song with me."

Rayna leaned forward and kissed Deacon lightly on the lips. "Thank you, babe."

_Don't you try to tell me someone's waiting_  
_They're not waiting for you_  
_Oh and don't you try to tell me that you're wanted_  
_That you're needed_  
_Cause it's not true_  
_I know why you're lonely_  
_It's time you knew it too_  
_No one will ever love you, no one will ever love you_  
_No one will ever love you like I do_

She could not even look at him. Merely feeling him next to her was almost more than she could bear. The hall was silent as the audience listened to their voices merging.

_No one will ever love you_  
_No one will ever love you_  
_No one will ever love you like I do_  
_Like I do_  
_Like I do_

The words echoed, again and again and then there was silence.

And then a crushing roar as she slipped her hand in his and they moved to the edge of the stage to accept the congratulations.

Rayna felt Deacon's hand tighten around hers and she turned to give him another kiss when his hand suddenly went slack. She looked on with disbelief as his eyes pleaded with her as he fell to the floor, his body tangled in the guitar strap, the instrument, his legs bending beneath him.

She heard a voice calling, not even recognizing it as her own. "Deacon!"

* * *

**Chapter 5: Chapter 5**

* * *

Rayna stood by in shock as the EMTs came out and assessed Deacon, then lifted him onto their gurney. She tried to see what they were doing. At first it seemed like Deacon had passed out, but now he vomiting and there was blood. Blood everywhere.

"Ray."

She turned to find Bucky standing next to her. She looked beyond him to see Tandy with her arms around Daphne and Maddie.

"Someone needs to call Scarlett," she said. "She's...I can't remember why she wasn't here. And…"

"You want me to take you?" Bucky offered. "I've got them pulling the car up outside. We'll go right behind the ambulance."

Rayna nodded, then moved over to the girls.

"I'm going with Uncle Bucky," she explained. "You go home with Aunt Tandy and I'll call you as soon as we know what's going on."

"No," Maddie replied. "We're coming, too. What's going on, Mom?"

Daphne was crying and Maddie looked like she was about to start.

"I'll be right behind you," Tandy answered. "You going to Vanderbilt?"

Rayna nodded. "I need my purse, before we go."

Tandy handed it to her. "I got it from the dressing room."

Rayna dug down into it and pulled out a piece of paper and her phone. She scanned the sheet and then began entering numbers.

"Dr. Rand? It's Rayna Jaymes, Deacon's….yes. He...he collapsed. They're taking him to Vanderbilt now." She paused as the doctor talked. "She is? Okay, we'll meet you. The ambulance is leaving now."

She ended the call and turned to Bucky. "Scarlett was with him. They're meeting us at the hospital."

"Mom?"

She turned back to the girls. "What, Maddie?"

"What's wrong with Deacon? Why did you know his doctor? What's going on?"

* * *

The drive felt like it took forever. It had not made the girls happy, but Rayna had put off their questions and sent them in Tandy's car. She just needed a few minutes to herself.

"You want to tell me what's going on, Rayna?" Bucky asked as they merged onto the highway headed toward the hospital.

"It's why we went away last week," Rayna started. "Deacon is sick. Really sick."

"I'm so sorry, Rayna," Bucky replied. "Did you know it was this bad?"

Rayna shook her head. "No, I thought we had more time. I just…" She broke down crying, hiccuping as she tried to catch her breath. "I thought we had more time."

Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Bucky reached over for her. "Let's just get there and see what the doctor says."

Bucky pulled up to the entrance to the emergency room. "Just go, Ray. I'll park and come find you."

Rayna grabbed her purse and ran into the hospital. She stopped as she got to the desk.

"Deacon Claybourne?" she asked the man at the desk. "An ambulance just brought him here from the Opry?"

The man nodded and looked down at the computer in front of him. "They're still assessing him. If you can take a seat, I'll come get you as soon as the doctors are finished."

Rayna turned and looked in the waiting room filled with a Saturday night crowd. "I'm sorry...is there any other place we might wait?"

The desk attendant looked up. "Oh...yes, let me…"

"I'm sorry, I don't want special treatment, but it just might be easier for everyone and my daughters are with me."

"Rayna!"

She turned to find Tandy coming in the door with Daphne and Maddie.

"Come this way, Ms. Jaymes. We have a consult room right down the hall. Let's have you wait there."

They followed the man down the hall and into a small room with a couch and two chairs. Rayna sat down on the couch and Daphne sat next to her, her head lying on her mother's chest.

"What's going on, Mom?" Maddie asked as she stood in front of Rayna.

"We're just gonna wait for the doctor to come and talk to us," Rayna explained.

"No, what's going on, Mom. He's sick and you knew it, didn't you?" Maddie asked again.

Rayna nodded. "Sorry, honey. Your dad and I wanted to tell you together. We were gonna do it tonight. After the show."

"So what's wrong?" Daphne asked quietly.

"Deacon is really sick, girls. He...he needs to have a liver transplant and what happened tonight, I'm not sure, but we knew he might get sicker before he had the surgery."

Rayna looked up to see a look of shock on her sister's face and a tear at her eye. Tandy raised her hand up quickly to brush it away.

"Will he have the transplant now?" Maddie asked as she sat down in the chair across from Rayna.

"I hope so, honey. We just have to wait and talk to the doctor," Rayna explained.

"What happens if he doesn't get a new liver?" Daphne asked, looking up at Rayna.

"He dies," Maddie replied quietly.

* * *

After about a half hour, Rayna looked up to see a doctor in scrubs standing in front of her.

"Ms. Jaymes?" she asked as he stepped in the door.

Rayna nodded. "Is...is everything okay?"

"He's stable. I can give you some more information about what happened. Do you want to go somewhere where we can talk more privately?"

"We want to hear, too," Maddie replied. "He's my dad. I want to know what's wrong."

Rayna nodded. "Please come in, we can talk here."

As the doctor walked in, Tandy moved from her chair to the couch next to Daphne.

"As I said, Deacon is stable right now. We're going to move him up to the ICU as soon as they have his bed ready. I've been in touch with Dr. Rand and the transplant team about what's happened."

"Does this mean he can't have a transplant?" Maddie asked.

The doctor shook her head. "No, but it does mean he needs to have it as soon as possible. The team will redo his MELD score, but what happened is something called an esophageal varices. It's caused by high blood pressure in the liver when you have liver disease. That pressure forces the veins in the esophagus and causes bleeding. We were able to control that bleeding for now, but he is very sick."

"Can we see him?" Maddie asked.

"Let me check and see how they're doing with that bed, but yes, I think we can let you see him. He's on a lot of medication and probably won't be awake, but he's not in any pain right now."

The doctor got up and left to check on Deacon. Everyone sat quietly for a minute.

"Is he gonna die, Mom?" Maddie finally asked quietly, tears beginning to stream down her cheeks.

"Not if there is anything I can do about it," Rayna replied.

* * *

Rayna and the girls walked into the room in ICU where Deacon lay. She stood back while the girls went up to him. She could not believe that only a few hours earlier they had all been on the stage, singing, smiling, together, alive…

"Ms. Jaymes?"

She looked up to see a doctor standing there. "Yes?"

"I'm Caleb Rand. I'm Deacon's oncologist," he explained. "Scarlett said you might have some questions for me."

She nodded and followed him out of the room into the hallway. "Deacon said that his sister was a match, but unwilling to do the transplant?"

"Yes, we did some initial testing that looked very positive, but she wasn't willing to go through with the procedure."

"Is it very dangerous?" Rayna asked. "I just don't know anything about this."

The doctor shook his head. "It's certainly not without risk, although a large majority of our patients have no adverse experiences after the donation. It does have a significant recovery period, much like any major surgery, but in about six weeks she would be able to resume her normal activities."

"What happens now?" Rayna asked.

The doctor shrugged. "We have reassessed his MELD score, that's what decides where he is on the priority list for donor organs. With this complication, he is at the top of the list, but he is also at a very high risk to start bleeding again and that could be life-threatening."

"So, he needs the transplant now," she responded.

"It is becoming increasingly important that we find an organ for him," the doctor replied. He looked down as his phone buzzed. "I'm sorry, I need to go take care of this," he explained as he slipped his phone back into his pocket.

Rayna waited a moment, then walked back in the room to see Deacon lying in the bed, the girls standing so quietly next to him. She had to do everything she could to save him. She turned and walked out of Deacon's hospital room to find Bucky waiting for her.

"Buck, I need you to charter a plane for me," she explained.

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"I'm going to see Deacon's sister," she replied.

TBC

_Author's Note: Thanks as always to Beth Pryor for giving me some good medical ideas. Any horrible mistakes here and going forward are mine and mine alone. Remember, it's a story, not a documentary! I know this is a short chapter, but it seemed like a good break. I have finished the next few chapters and will be posting regularly this week. Thanks for all the great reviews. It is really awesome to know that people are reading and enjoying your story, so if you have a moment, I'd love to hear from you!_

_And yes, I realize that Scarlett kind of disappeared here, but I guess she was stuck in the main waiting room. She'll have a much bigger role in the next few bits._

* * *

**Chapter 6: Chapter 6**

* * *

The plane set down with a bump on the runway. Rayna looked out the window to see a small terminal and hanger with other small planes pointed out. There was a car sitting on the edge of the runway with a tall man standing next to it. As always, Bucky had come through.

She thanked the pilot, grabbed her bag and headed down the steps.

"Ms. Jaymes?" the man by the car said as she walked up to him. "I'm Joe. Can take you wherever you need to go."

She quickly gave him Beverly's address and they headed out.

She turned her phone back on and began to check messages. Tandy had called two times. No changes.

"First time to Natchez?" Joe asked from the front seat.

Rayna shook her head. "No, but I haven't been here for a long time."

She remembered back to that trip with Deacon, when they had come to see Beverly after Scarlett was born. They had been on their first tour on a real bus with gigs all over the south. They'd played a show in Jackson when Deacon asked if they could take a detour on their way to Baton Rouge.

Rayna remembered the bus pulling up in front of the little tract house Beverly and Scarlett's dad were living in, nearly filling the street and causing the neighbors to come out of their houses. They'd sat in the backyard in lawn chairs cause Beverly didn't want Rayna to come into the house. It had been pretty awkward, but the baby had been cute.

As the car pulled onto another narrow street, Rayna could see that although Beverly wasn't living in that same little house any longer, things had not changed all that much. Chances are she wouldn't be that interested in having Rayna in her house this time, either.

Joe pulled the car up. "I'll just wait here, right?"

Rayna nodded and reached for her purse. "I'm not sure how long I'll be."

"I'll be here," he replied.

She climbed out of the car, checked the number on the house again and walked up the sidewalk and knocked on the door.

She had just about decided that no one was home, when the door opened.

"I thought that might be you when I saw the big car pull up. I mean, it was either you or the Publisher's Clearinghouse," Beverly said as she stood with the screen door barely open.

"Can we talk, Beverly?" Rayna asked.

"Not sure we have anything to talk about, Rayna. I mean, I'm pretty sure I know what you're here for and if you talked to my brother or my daughter, you know that I'm not willing to share it."

"Let's just talk," Rayna answered. "I think you owe Deacon that much."

Beverly didn't respond, then after a moment, she stepped back and let Rayna into the house.

Rayna took a quick look around. It was simple, but clean. There was a picture of Scarlett when she was younger and another one with Beverly, Deacon and Scarlett in a graduation gown. Looked like it might be from high school.

"Not exactly what you were expecting?" Beverly said as she crossed the living room and sat down on the couch.

"Didn't know what to expect, Beverly," Rayna replied as she sat down on the recliner facing the couch.

"So, Deacon told you that I wouldn't give him my liver?" Beverly started.

Rayna nodded.

"Something happen?" Beverly asked. "I assume he's still alive. I mean, why are you here?"

Rayna had to stifle a gasp. It was impossible to figure out where this woman was coming from. Even in the darkest times between her and Tandy, she would have never…

"Rayna?"

Rayna looked up to see Beverly watching her.

"Why are you here, Rayna?" Beverly asked again.

Rayna took a deep breath. "He's alive. But not for long. I know things have been hard between you and Deacon and you and Scarlett, but he's your brother, Beverly and if you don't help him, he's going to die."

Beverly tightened her mouth. "And that's my problem, why?"

"Cause I think you'd regret it," Rayna replied. "Yes, I would do just about anything to save Deacon right now, but honestly, if he dies and you might have been able to help, you will never be able to forgive yourself. It's why I'm here, cause if I didn't do every single thing I could to try to save him, I'd never forgive myself, either."

"It's not that easy, Rayna. Me and Deacon…" Beverly's voice trailed off.

Rayna let out a soft laugh. "You think anything about Deacon's been easy?"

"So, why are you here?" Beverly asked. "After everything he's done, all the times he's broken your heart, and now, this disease cause he drank and didn't stop?"

Rayna shrugged. "I don't have an answer, other than I love him and I love our daughter and I can't bear to break her heart if there's anything I could do to stop that. You know what that's like, Beverly. You have a daughter. And you're breaking her heart right now, too."

Beverly stood up. "You don't know anything about me and Scarlett. I think you need to go, Rayna."

Rayna stood as well. "I'm sorry...no, I didn't mean to…"

"Get out of my house, Rayna," Beverly ordered. "Or I'm gonna call the cops."

* * *

Rayna got back into the car and sat for a moment.

"Success?" the driver asked.

"Not really," Rayna answered. "No, not a success."

She looked down at her phone again. There was a text from Tandy asking how it had gone and a message from Dr. Rand.

She went to her voicemail and listened to the message.

"Rayna, I'm checking in to see if you've had any success. We've got Deacon at the top of the list now, so chances for a cadaver organ are better…"

Rayna stopped listening as she looked up at the sound of someone pounding on the car window. She rolled it down.

"So, you fly down here on some fancy jet?" Beverly asked.

"Yeah," Rayna responded. "You coming back with me?"

"Slide over," Beverly ordered as she opened the door.

"Okay," Rayna replied as she slid to the other side of the back seat. "So, can I call the doctor and tell him we're coming?"

Beverly looked over at Rayna. "Yes. And let me talk to him. I had those other tests they wanted to do up in Nashville when I got back home. They'll be able to do the surgery."

"So all that…" Rayna started.

"Drop it, Rayna. I'm coming and if we have to sit here and share our feelings about it, well, I might get back out of the car."

"Okay," Rayna replied. "Can you call the airport, Joe and let them know we're coming?"

"Will do," the driver replied.

Rayna gestured toward Beverly with her phone. "So, I'm just gonna call Dr. Rand and let him know we're on our way, okay?"

Rayna dialed the doctor and after explaining what was happening she handed the phone to Beverly. She watched as Deacon's sister went through the pile of papers on her lap, reading off numbers and various details to Deacon's doctor. She shook her head, reminding herself once again that it was futile to rationalize the behavior of an irrational person. But this woman...no, she had to not think too hard about it. Instead she had to focus on getting them both back to Nashville. Hopefully it wouldn't be too late.

She looked over to see Beverly ending her call with the doctor. "Everything okay?"

"Just dandy," Beverly replied. "Let's go to Nashville."

* * *

Rayna got off the plane to find Bucky waiting with his car.

"You ready to go?" he asked as she walked up with Beverly.

"Is my daughter here?" Beverly asked as Bucky opened the door.

"No," he replied. "Did you want her to be?"

Beverly paused. "No, I'm here and I'm going to do this, but I don't want to see her, so do whatever you need to do to arrange that."

"Are you sure?" Rayna asked. "Cause I know she'd want to thank you."

"No, we don't tell her. That's my right, isn't it?" Beverly asked. "Aren't there some sort of privacy laws for this stuff?"

"I won't keep secrets from Deacon," Rayna replied.

"Even if it means his life?" Beverly responded. "Cause they don't need to know. I told that doctor, nobody needs to know that it came from me."

Rayna took a deep breath in and then let it out. "Okay, let's go. Whatever you want to do, Beverly."

Rayna got into the car, feeling like she had probably just made a deal with the Devil himself.

* * *

Rayna headed up to the 8th floor to check on Deacon. She paused at the waiting room outside the intensive care unit. Scarlett was asleep curled on the couch.

"Honey?" she said softly as she crouched down next to Deacon's niece.

"Oh, Rayna," Scarlett said as she woke up. She sat up and brushed her hair back. "Sorry, I just closed my eyes for a minute."

"Have you been home at all?" Rayna asked.

Scarlett shook her head. "I couldn't go-wasn't sure what was going to happen."

"Is he?" Rayna started to ask.

"He's still pretty much unconscious," Scarlett answered. "Caleb...I mean, Dr. Rand said that he's comfortable, he's stable, but we really need a miracle, Rayna."

Rayna nodded. "Well, honey, maybe we'll get one today."

She wasn't so sure she was going to keep Beverly's promise-not if it meant lying to Deacon or even to Scarlett, but she sure wasn't going to say anything before the surgery. She would do nothing to jeopardize that.

"I'm going to go in and check on him, okay?" Rayna said.

Scarlett nodded and Rayna headed down the hall toward Deacon's room. She stopped at the nurse's station to make sure it was okay and then walked into Deacon's room.

Her hand went up to her mouth. He was so still. So unDeaconlike. There were tubes and monitors, and his skin was a yellow cast. He looked even sicker than when she had left for Mississippi.

She walked to the side of the bed and took his hand in hers. His fingers lay in her hand. She could feel the ridges of callouses he'd developed from so many years of playing the guitar.

"I'm here, Deacon," she whispered. "I won't go again. I'm here."

She looked up as Dr. Rand walked into the room. "Rayna, thank you," he said.

"So, everything's...you can do the surgery?" she asked.

"Yes, but we need to go now. We're starting to lose him and we...we need to go now."

She realized there was a group of people standing behind him.

"Oh, okay," she said, then leaned down and kissed Deacon. "I love you. Come back to me."

The team came in the quickly transferred Deacon from his bed onto the transport gurney.

"Can I go get Scarlett quick?" she asked.

Dr. Rand nodded. "This will take us a couple of minutes, but go now."

She rushed from the room back into the waiting area. Not only was Scarlett there, but Maddie, Daphne and Tandy as well.

"Come quick-they found a liver and they're taking him to surgery," she explained. "Let's go."

She hurried the group down the hall where they met the team on the way to the OR with Deacon. Everyone gave him a quick kiss and then they left with him.

"What happened?" Maddie finally asked.

"They found the liver," Rayna answered.

"How?" Scarlett asked. "Who?"

"We can talk about it later," Rayna said as she turned and headed back to the waiting area.

TBC

* * *

**Chapter 7: Chapter 7**

* * *

The hours passed slowly. Tandy finally took the girls home, with the promise to return later when Rayna called and the surgery was over. The surgery would take at least four hours, but could be as long as eight. They had taken Deacon up at 4 pm, so it would be a long evening.

"Do you want to do get something to eat?" Rayna asked Scarlett after a couple of hours. "We can let the nurse know where we've gone and they'll call us."

Scarlett shrugged. "I'm not sure I could eat anything."

Rayna nodded. She felt the same way. She walked over to the coffee pot and filled her cup again. It had been a long day with the flight down to Mississippi and back and then the surgery starting.

"Ray?"

She looked up to see Bucky walk in with a bag. "I thought you might need something to eat."

Food. It was the one comfort people always returned to. She chuckled.

"Scarlett and I were just talking about eating, neither of us were sure we could."

Bucky sat down next to her and opened the bag. "Well, I'm sure you both could use something. I brought some soup from The Turnip Truck."

Rayna opened the container and smiled. "Perfect."

Bucky handed a container to Scarlett as well along with a spoon. "How long has he been in?"

Rayna looked up at the clock. "Gosh, getting closer to three hours now."

They sat quietly eating the soup. A phone rang and a nurse appeared in the door.

"Family of Deacon Claybourne?"

Scarlett and Rayna set down their soup and walked over.

"Dr. Rand called down. He said the harvest of the donor organ went well and they've finished removing Mr. Claybourne's liver. The next step will be implanting the donor organ."

"And it's going okay?" Rayna asked.

"So far, so good," the nurse replied.

As they returned to their seats, Scarlett took another bite of her soup, then set it down again.

"So, this liver. Was it a cadaver organ?"

"Cadaver? What's that?" Rayna asked.

"It's when it comes from someone who's dead, a cadaver, you know," Scarlett replied. "I mean, I know you just found out about this, but I've had a some time to learn a lot about these transplants. The way it all happened, I'm thinking this came from a person, someone who decided to donate part of their liver to Deacon."

Rayna took another spoonful of soup. "I thought that donors were supposed to be anonymous."

"This isn't a Lifetime Movie, Rayna. Do you know if it was a living donor? I mean, it seems pretty suspicious to me that you disappear and then all of a sudden you're back and Deacon's getting his transplant."

"It's an anonymous donor, Scarlett," Rayna replied. "I think we better just leave it at that."

Scarlett started to say something, then stopped.

"Well, can I bring you anything else?" Bucky asked, trying to ease the now apparent tension. "Coffee?"

Rayna shook her head as did Scarlett.

"Okay, then," he responded.

* * *

The next time they called Deacon's name, it was a doctor in scrubs standing at the door. Scarlett had been joined by Gunnar the past couple of hours. After Deacon's collapse at the Opry, nothing about his illness had been a secret any longer.

Rayna and Scarlett walked over to the doctor.

"Is it over?" Rayna asked.

"It is," the doctor replied. "I'm Dr. Moore. I was one of the surgeons on the team. Dr. Rand went up to the ICU with Deacon. He did very well. It was a complicated surgery and getting his own organ out was a little tricky. We're lucky we were able to do the surgery when we did. I don't think he would have had much longer."

"Can we see him?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes," the doctor replied. "I'll have someone take you up in a couple of minutes for a short visit. We still need to monitor him very closely and he'll still be on the ventilator, so he won't be able to talk to you, but tomorrow he'll be in much better shape."

Another doctor appeared behind Dr. Moore. "This is one of the interns that was on the team, Dr. Henderson. Will you please take Mr. Claybourne's family up to his room?"

The intern nodded. "Of course. We can go this way," she gestured toward the hall.

"Can I just have a minute?" Rayna asked. "I have another question for Dr. Moore. You go ahead, Scarlett."

The intern and Scarlett stood for a minute, then headed down the hall toward the elevator up to the floor where Deacon's room was located.

"The donor," Rayna started. "Did everything go okay, there?"

Dr. Moore nodded. "Yes, it went really well. It was a healthy liver. She's up on the surgical floor if you want to see her, just ask the nurse."

"Thank you. It's...this is a complicated situation. She just doesn't want her family to know what she did and they're asking questions and…" Rayna's voice trailed off.

"It was a very generous thing, Ms. Jaymes. As I said, we may have lost him if you had not gotten Deacon's sister here when you did. But we will definitely respect her wishes."

"Thank you," Rayna said. "And for everything, thank you."

She turned and hurried down toward Scarlett, stopping only to tap out a quick text to Tandy.

_surgery over. all is good. going to see deacon now. tell maddie._

* * *

As they stepped into Deacon's room, Rayna could see that he still had all the tubes and monitors from before with the additions of a tube in his mouth and one in his nose.

"We'll keep him on the ventilator over night to rest his body," the intern explained. "We've got him on a pretty strong dose of medication that's keeping him asleep for now. We'll ease that up in the morning and then remove the ventilator if he's able to breath on his own."

"Might he not?" Scarlett asked.

"No reason to think he won't," Dr. Henderson replied. "The tube in his nose will stay for a few more days until we are sure he can eat and digest food on his own."

Rayna walked over closer. "He looks better. His skin…" She brushed her fingers lightly over his face, which was pale, but had lost the yellowness he'd had earlier.

"It's a good sign that the liver is working like it should," the doctor explained. "We'll be monitoring all of his levels very closely. But we should let him sleep. You can come back in the morning."

The doctor ushered Scarlett and Rayna out of the room.

Rayna looked down at her phone. "I think I'm gonna go home, get a shower and talk to the girls-bring them back up here with me after I sleep a little bit."

Scarlett looked at her and then down the hall where she could see Gunnar waiting. "I'm thinking I should go check on my momma. No need for her to be here all alone."

Rayna took in a deep breath.

"I'm assuming she made you keep it a secret," Scarlett said. "But wasn't anyone else that could have done it as fast, that you would have run out of here like a bat out of hell and then come back to quickly. I'm right, aren't I?"

Rayna nodded.

Scarlett shook her head. "I'd say I'm surprised, but I'm not. Nothing ever surprises me with her."

Rayna pulled Scarlett into her arms. "Well, there's no way to really know why she did it now, why she wouldn't before, but let's just be grateful that she did."

She stepped back and brushed the tears from Scarlett's eyes. "And even though she said she didn't want you to know, I bet she'll be real glad to see you."

* * *

Rayna quietly closed the back door behind her. She walked into the kitchen and found Tandy waiting there for her.

"How are you doing?" Tandy asked as she got up to give her sister a hug.

Rayna just shook her head, raising her hand up to wipe away the tears that escaped from her eye.

"I don't know. Okay? I feel this relief, but the panic is still there. I'm just not sure?" Rayna answered.

"Why don't you go up and take a shower and try to lie down for a little while," Tandy suggested. "Leave your phone with me and if anyone calls, I'll come get you."

Rayna nodded. "Okay."

"Mom?"

She looked up to see Maddie standing in the door.

"C'mere, honey girl," she said as she held her arms open.

"Is it over?" Maddie asked as Rayna pulled her arms tight around her.

"Yes, baby, and he did great. I saw him when they brought him upstairs, but he's going to be asleep all night. We can go see him in the morning."

"I was so scared," Maddie admitted.

Rayna let go of her daughter and reached up to brush Maddie's hair back. "Me too, honey. Me too."

She put her arm around Maddie as they headed to the steps. "Let's get a little more sleep and then we can go back to see him. Deacon's going to need us all to be at our best, so we need to take care of ourselves as well."

* * *

Scarlett headed down the familiar hallway toward Caleb's office. She turned the corner and saw his door was open.

"Hi," she said as she stood in the doorway.

The young doctor looked up, he was still wearing his scrubs. "Hey. Did you see your uncle?"

Scarlett nodded and walked in. "Am I allowed to give you a hug?"

Caleb stood up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her.

"Can you help me with something else?" Scarlett asked as he held her.

"What? Sure," he offered.

She let go of the embrace and stepped back. "Can you tell me where my mother is?"

Caleb frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I know she doesn't want me or Deacon to know she was the donor and Rayna pretty much only confirmed it after I pushed her, but I know she did the transplant and I'm guessing she's somewhere in this hospital."

"I can't tell you anything about that," Caleb replied. He looked over at Scarlett who stood in front of him with her arms crossed. "But, if someone was a donor, they'd be recovering on the medical surgical floor on 5."

"Thank you," Scarlett replied. She went to leave the office, then stopped. "I know you're just doing your job."

"That's why this is hard," he replied.

* * *

Scarlett got off the elevator and headed down the hallway. She knew there were rules about patient privacy, so wasn't sure just how she'd find the room when she heard the voice. It was Beverly.

"I don't need you helping me to the bathroom. I'm sure I can get there just as easily on my own."

Scarlett took a deep breath and then walked into the room. "Momma," she began. The nurse and her mother looked up. "I'm sure they're just trying to help you, if you let them."

"Well, I don't need to go anyway, so you can just come back in here a later," Beverly directed the nurse.

After the nurse left, Scarlett crossed closer to the bed.

"So, Rayna told you after all," she spit out.

Scarlett sat down in the chair next to the bed. "No, she didn't. I guessed. It was just the only thing that made any sense."

"Well, I didn't want you to know and I sure don't need you telling Deacon," Beverly replied. "Y'all can just mind your own business."

"Thank you, Momma," Scarlett said. "Thank you for saving him."

Beverly smoothed down the hospital gown. "Well, I just.."

"Doesn't matter why. I"m just saying thank you and coming to say that I'm willing to help you, however you need," Scarlett explained.

Beverly shook her head. "Well, that's fine and I don't really need anything, except…"

"Yes?" Scarlett asked.

"Can you go back and get that nurse?" Beverly asked. "I do need her to come help me after all."

"Of course, Momma," Scarlett said as she stood up and headed to the door. That woman would never change.

TBC

* * *

**Chapter 8: Chapter 8**

* * *

_**Thanks for all the great notes, follows and favorites. I will definitely have at least one more chapter before this week's episode. Guess I'm fueling all that anticipation into some creative energy! - RW** _

The next morning, Rayna walked onto the floor of the ICU with the girls holding her hands.

"Hey, can y'all wait here for a minute for me?" Rayna asked as they reached the waiting room. "Let me just go up to the unit and check and see if this is a good time for us to come in."

The girls took a seat and she walked the rest of the way down the hall. She approached the nurse's station.

"We're here to see Deacon Claybourne," Rayna said to the young man at the desk. "I have my daughters-his daughter with me. Is it okay to bring them back to see him for a few minutes?"

"Ah, Ms. Jaymes, yes. The doctors were just here on rounds and we're about to extubate him. Can you wait about 15 minutes to come back?" the nurse asked.

"I can," Rayna responded. "Would it be okay if I was here while you did that and then got the girls? I know how scary it is when that tube comes out. I'd like to be there, if I'm not in the way."

The nurse nodded. "That should be fine. Come follow me."

Rayna followed him down the hall. There were two other people in the room she didn't recognize. Deacon appeared to be asleep, then opened his eyes when they walked in the room. He held his hand up off the bed in a gesture to Rayna. She crossed into the room and took his hand in hers.

"Okay, Mr. Claybourne," the respiratory therapist said. "Take a deep breath and then when you start to blow it out, I'm going to pull this tube out. Okay?"

Deacon nodded.

"Okay, blow now," the therapist instructed as she pulled the long thin tube from Deacon's throat.

He coughed as it finally left his mouth. The nurse came forward with a small cup.

"Here's some ice. Let's try that," he offered Deacon who opened his mouth to receive the ice.

"Okay, give it a minute," the therapist said. "Feel okay? Here, let's sit you up and have you take a couple of deep breaths."

They helped Deacon sit up and he started to take a deep breath, then groaned.

"Is he okay?" Rayna asked.

"It's fine," the nurse replied. "He's going to be tender, but you need to keep taking deep breaths, even though it hurts."

Deacon nodded again.

"I've got Maddie and Daphne with me," Rayna said. "You think you're up for that?"

"Yes," Deacon whispered. "Definitely."

"Okay, I'll be right back," she responded.

She headed back down the hall, signaled the girls and headed back. They stopped just outside Deacon's room.

"Okay, there are a lot of machines and things, but they just pulled out the breathing tube and he will be able to talk, but probably not too much," Rayna explained. "If you're confused by anything, just let me know and I'll answer any questions I can."

"We know what all that stuff is," Daphne replied. "It's all that stuff you had when you were in the hospital, Mom."

She shook her head. How could she not remember that the girls had spent plenty of time in the ICU units in this hospital.

"Okay, well, then let's go in," Rayna replied.

She stepped back and let the girls go in ahead of her. Daphne went straight up to the side of the bed, but Maddie hung back until Deacon held out his hand to her. Then she went up to him, taking his hand in hers.

"Oh, Dad," she cried as she leaned in to hug him the best she could. "We were so scared."

"It's okay, honey girl," Deacon replied, his voice still hoarse. "This is a new day. Clock starts over now."

Rayna thought about what Deacon had said as she drove the girls back to their house. A new day. The clock starts over.

What if it did. What if it could. What if this thing that happened was the one thing they needed to reset everything.

* * *

As she pulled into Belle Meade, her phone buzzed with a text.

"Can you look at that for me, Maddie?" she asked.

Maddie pulled the phone from the cup holder.

"Mom!" she called.

"What is it?" Rayna asked.

"It's Scarlett. She says we need to come back to the hospital now."

Rayna looked back at the scared faces on the two girls in the back seat, then made a U-turn and headed back toward the hospital.

* * *

Rayna ran onto the floor, stopping at the waiting area where Gunnar was standing. "Please, keep Maddie and Daphne here with you."

"Absolutely," Gunnar replied. "It's room 627, straight down that hall."

Rayna headed the direction Gunnar had pointed, pulling up when she found Scarlett standing outside in the hall.

"Honey," she said as she went up and took Scarlett in her arms. "What happened?"

Scarlett shook her head. "I don't know. She was fine last night, we talked. She walked to the bathroom with all those tubes. I was just here sleeping and then she woke up gasping and the monitors and…"

Rayna looked in the room where the doctors and nurses continued to work on Beverly. She watched as they used the defibrillator and then did CPR again and again. Finally it was quiet and the a young woman walked out toward them.

"Ms. O'Connor?" she asked.

Scarlett nodded.

"I'm very sorry. We did everything we could, but we couldn't save her."

"What happened?" Rayna asked as she continue to keep her arms around Scarlett.

"We will have to examine her further to confirm, but I would guess that it was a pulmonary embolism. It's a very rare complication. I'm so very sorry."

Scarlett turned and dissolved into tears in Rayna's arms. Rayna stood, holding her, in shock. After several minutes she looked up to see Gunnar with the girls behind him.

"Sorry, they heard Scarlett and had to come," Gunnar explained.

Rayna nodded and Gunnar moved over to take Scarlett into his arms. Rayna pulled her own girls close to her.

"What happened, Mom?" Daphne asked.

Rayna smoothed her hand down along Daphne's hair. "Scarlett's momma died, baby."

"Because of Dad?" Maddie asked quietly. "Did she do the transplant?"

Rayna turned and moved the girls away from Scarlett and Gunnar. "Yes, honey. I mean, she did the transplant for your dad, and it was a complication, but that's what it was...it was a complication that we didn't think would happen."

"Dad is going to be so sad," Maddie replied.

"Yes, baby girl," Rayna responded. "We're going to have to hold him extra careful in our hearts."

* * *

Rayna arranged for Tandy to come pick the girls up. She'd called Bucky and he was headed over to help Scarlett with arrangements for Beverly. She'd also had him call Avery and Juliette to let them know what had happened. Juliette wanted to come down to the hospital, but Rayna told her it was best to just stay home right now. The baby was coming any day and the last thing Juliette needed was to get caught in any kind of a media circus.

Which was happening. Rayna had just barely gotten the girl's into Tandy's car when she saw the van pulling up from Channel 4. She ducked back into the hospital and headed over to the admissions desk.

"I'm gonna need to see the hospital's spokesperson, immediately," she said to the young woman at the counter. The woman looked up and realizing who was standing in front of her nodded. "Of course. Why don't you go into the office right behind our desk and I'll have someone come down."

Rayna nodded. "In the meantime, I'd really appreciate if you could keep those cameras from coming any further into the building."

"Absolutely, Ms. Jaymes," the woman said.

Rayna waited for about five minutes before a man in a dark suit arrived.

"Ms. Jaymes, I'm David Carlyle with Vanderbilt Hospitals," he said, holding out his hand.

She took his hand and shook it. "Sorry, I think we're about to make a real media circus out there."

He nodded and looked down at the pad of paper he had carried in with him. "Would you be willing to have me make a statement?"

"Can we get away without one?" Rayna asked. "I'd really rather just not say anything at all."

The spokesperson looked down at his phone as it buzzed. "I just got two news alerts regarding Mr. Claybourne and his sister. I think the news is out."

"She just died!" Rayna nearly shouted. "How is that news out? I haven't even gone upstairs to tell him. He doesn't even know she was the donor."

"And I'm very sorry about that," he replied. "There will be an investigation, but chances are it was someone on the floor- a patient, a family member. Our staff is very good about respecting the privacy of our patients. They know that any violation of that policy will result in their immediate dismissal."

"Can you buy me at least a half hour?" Rayna asked.

"Would you be willing to be a part of the press conference?" he responded.

Rayna shook her head and laughed. "Doesn't seem like I'd have much choice at this point."

Carlyle looked at the clock on the wall. "I'm going to set something up for noon. That gives us about 90 minutes. I'll have both doctors there and if you're willing to make a statement, I think we should be in good shape. Will that work?"

Rayna nodded. "Thank you. But I need to get upstairs and talk to Deacon before anyone else tells him what's happened."

* * *

Rayna walked down the hallway toward the nurse's station outside Deacon's room. She paused at the desk.

"How's he doing?" she asked, cocking her head toward Deacon's room.

"He's doing really well," the nurse replied. "His oxygen sats have stayed within the normal range and he seems to be managing his pain okay. He expressed concern about using the painkillers, but the doctor spoke to him."

Rayna nodded. "He's had issues in the past with addiction."

"It's not uncommon with our liver transplant patients," the nurse responded. "We do take it into account in our pain management protocol, but he also needs to use enough medication so that he's able to rest and heal."

"I have some news I need to talk to him about," Rayna began. "It will be, uh, upsetting. Is he able?"

The nurse stood up and put her arm on Rayna's. "We heard about his sister. They called up from other floor. I'm really sorry."

Rayna nodded and put her hand up to her mouth, trying to stifle the tears. "He...he doesn't even know she was the donor. I just don't know how, I'm going to…"

"He's still pretty groggy," the nurse explained. "And there's no TV in there and we won't say anything to him, so you can wait, but you will run the risk that someone else might tell him first."

Rayna nodded. "If it won't hurt him, then I think I'd better just go and do it."

She turned and walked toward his room, stopping before she went in to take a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she pushed open the door and walked in.

TBC

_Author's Note - I have to admit, I had not really thought about Beverly being the donor until I had Deacon telling Rayna that she was a match. Remembering the way Rayna and Beverly were together last season, I can't imagine a scenario where Rayna Jaymes doesn't do everything she can to get Beverly to be the donor._

* * *

**Chapter 9: Chapter 9**

* * *

_**Thank you, readers...I have appreciated the reviews and notes.** _

* * *

"You're looking a little better," she said as she walked up to Deacon's bed.

"I hate this tube," he said, gesturing at the NG tube in his nose. "And this one," he added, pointing to the IV in his hand. "And definitely that one." He pointed down between his legs where she assumed there was a catheter.

"It's all helping you get better," she replied. "If you're complaining, I know you're getting better."

Deacon offered a weak smile. "So, what happened? I just can't recall anything after the Opry."

"You made quite a scene," she replied. "I was just about to suggest we do an encore when you went down."

Deacon shook his head. "Sorry about that, Ray. Didn't mean to ruin your big night."

"You didn't ruin anything," Rayna said as she stepped forward and kissed him. "It was really scary. You were bleeding, vomiting blood and it was touch and go for a while."

"So, how did I get the liver? Was it a donor, someone from the registry?"

Rayna shook her head. "No, it...it was Beverly."

"My sister?" Deacon asked. "But she…"

"I went down to Mississippi and asked her again," Rayna explained.

"And that worked?" Deacon asked, shaking his head.

Rayna shrugged. "But, Deacon, I have to tell you something else."

He looked at her, his smile disappearing. "What?"

Rayna took a deep breath and put both of her hands around the hand that was free of the IV. "The surgery went great. Beverly did great and her liver was a good match. She'd actually done the rest of the tests when she got back home, so they were able to take you both right into surgery. And she didn't want me to tell you or Scarlett that she was the donor, but Scarlett-she figured it out and so after you were out of surgery, she went up and saw Beverly and stayed with her that first night."

"Why are you telling me all of this, like this, Ray?" Deacon said, his voice quiet.

"I'm so sorry, Deacon," Rayna began.

"No," he interrupted.

She reached her hand up to his hair, brushing it it with her fingers. "It was a really rare complication. It was an embolism and they tried to hard to save her, but Deacon, she died. Beverly died."

"No," Deacon said again, then tried to roll on his side. He groaned and rolled back, fixing his eyes on her. "Just go, Rayna. I just...just need to be alone for a little bit."

She leaned in to kiss him, but he turned his face away from her. She reached up and brushed the tears away from his eyes.

"I want to come back later," she started. "And Maddie will want to come back after school."

Deacon shook his head. "Not today. Bring her tomorrow."

Rayna looked down at her watch. The press conference was starting in fifteen minutes. She leaned in and kissed him again, this time on the forehead. "It wasn't your fault, Deacon. She wanted to do it and it was a fluke. No one would have predicted it."

She turned and started to walk toward the door, but stopped at the sound of Deacon saying her name.

"Ray, can you...can you have Scarlett come see me?" he asked.

She nodded. "Of course."

* * *

Deacon closed his eyes, trying to quiet his mind. The drugs made it hard enough to think straight, but the news from Rayna was almost more than he could handle.

He lay there, listening to the machines beeping, pretending to be asleep when the nurse came in and checked his IV and other tubes. After she left, it was quiet, until he heard the door open again and someone sit down next to him. He opened his eyes to find Scarlett sitting there.

"Hey," he said.

She looked up, her eyes red and her face streaked. "Hey, Deacon."

"Oh, Scarlett, I'm sorry honey," Deacon said, holding his arm out to her. She moved over next to the bed. "Can you, c'mere."

She stood for a moment, then put the rail on the bed down. "Won't I hurt you?" she said as she eyed the space on the bed next to him.

"Nope," Deacon reassured her. "C'mere."

She climbed in next to him, lying on her side. She started to cry. "Sorry, I just can't…"

"No, it's okay," Deacon comforted her. "Oh, Beverly…"

"Sure knows how to make scene," Scarlett said, a little chuckle escaping her tears. "You got three TV trucks sitting down in front of this hospital right now and a guy from the Tennessean trying to sneak onto this floor."

"What?" Deacon said. "How…"

"I don't know," Scarlett replied. "But Rayna's dealing with it right now."

"You okay?" he asked.

"Don't know," Scarlett replied. "You?"

"Don't know," Deacon echoed. "Just don't know."

* * *

Scarlett stayed until they came in to do some tests. She promised that she'd come back later to check in. Deacon had seen both Gunnar and Dr. Rand's appear in the door, so it seemed like she had folks looking out for her.

He took a deep breath and coughed, nearly gasping at the pain the ripped across his tender abdomen. There were bandages covering the incision, but he'd taken a look that morning when the doctors had come on their rounds and removed the bandage to look at the wound. They'd cut him from stem to stern. No wonder it hurt.

He looked over at the morphine pump. The nurse told him to keep taking the medication, that they were monitoring it and knew that he'd had trouble with opiates before. He watched the numbers go to zero, counted to thirty and then pressed the button to send the small wash of relief over his body.

He raised his hand up to his forehead. It was warm in the room. Warmer than he'd remembered earlier. He pressed the call button and when the nurse appeared at the door, he'd asked for more ice and water.

"You feeling okay, hon," the nurse asked when she returned to the room. She set the pitcher down on the table next to him and put her hand up on his forehead. "You warm?"

Deacon nodded.

She reached into the pocket of her uniform and pulled out her thermometer. "Let's just get a quick read, okay?"

She stuck the metal probe into a plastic sleeve and stuck it in his mouth. After a short time, the machine beeped and she pulled it out, flicking the plastic into the trash can next to his bed. She pulled over his chart and made a note.

"Everything okay?" he asked.

She looked up from the note. "You have a little bit of a temp, which is probably why you're feeling warm. Anything else going on?" She stood up and walked over to his bed. "Your belly tender?" She pressed onto his abdomen, along the bandage and then on it.

Deacon gasped.

"That hurt?" she asked again.

He nodded.

She went back to the chart and made another note. "Okay, hon. I'm gonna go call Dr. Rand and see if he can come up and check on you."

Deacon nodded. He wanted to tell her to not bother the doctor-he might be with Scarlett, but at the same time, Deacon felt nervous. He could tell the nurse was trying to not alarm him, but he could tell that she was worried about something.

He waited about ten minutes before the doctor arrived. With the nurse's assistance, they repeated everything she had done. The temperature. The pressing on his abdomen. They took more blood.

"What's going on?" Deacon asked as the nurse left the room with the vials of blood.

"If I had to guess, I'd say we're looking at an acute case of rejection," Dr. Rand replied. "I'm going to need to do a biopsy to make sure."

The nurse reentered the room pushing a small cart. She pulled the drape off and watched as Dr. Rand slipped on a pair of gloves.

"Okay, this shouldn't hurt too much," the doctor said as he pulled Deacon's gown up. "I'm going to go in with the needle and take a small sample of the liver."

Deacon watched as the needle went into his skin and then was quickly removed.

"What does this mean?" he asked the doctor.

"It's something that happens. Not always, but it's one of the more common complications, Deacon. Let's get these tests done, see if it's rejection or possibly an infection. In the meantime, I think we need to restrict your visitors and we're going to have to require people to gown up to come in. If it's an infection, we need to prevent you from being exposed to anything else and if this is rejection, I'm going to have to start a heavy dose of a steroid and that's going to suppress your immune system as well."

"Can the girls still come in?" Deacon asked.

"It would be better if they didn't," Dr. Rand replied. "School is a breeding ground for infection."

Deacon nodded.

"It's for your own protection," the doctor added. "Okay, let me go get these results started and I'll be back when I know what's going on."

* * *

The next time Deacon woke up, Rayna was standing next to him, covered in a yellow gown, a mask over her face and a hat covering her gorgeous hair.

"You feeling any better?" she asked him, her voice muffled by the mask.

He shrugged. "Maybe. What's the verdict?"

"It's rejection, but they caught it quick and they're giving you medication in your IV to make you feel better."

"Maybe Beverly's getting back at me for killing her," Deacon replied, darkly.

"Don't even joke about that," Rayna replied. "Hey, the girls are feeling really bad about not being able to come in, but they understand and want to do everything to help you get better. Are you up for Facetime?"

Deacon shrugged again. "I'm not sure what I'd say, Ray. I'm not really...I'm really feeling like talking to anyone."

"Just for a couple of minutes?" Rayna asked. "They're scared, too, Deacon. I know that at least seeing your face and hearing your voice is going to help a lot."

She set her iPad up on the table and pushed it over so that it was facing Deacon and pressed the call button.

"Hey, Dad!" Maddie greeted him.

"Hey there, honey," Deacon replied, weakly. "Sorry I can't have you come visit."

"Just get better, okay?" Maddie replied.

"Hi, Deacon!" Daphne poked her head into the view of the camera.

"Hey, Daph." Deacon reached for his cup of water and took a sip.

"We love you, Dad," Maddie said. "So, rest up and listen to the doctor and hopefully we can see you again soon."

"Okay, girls, you go work on your homework," Rayna instructed. "And listen to Aunt Tandy."

"Bye!" the girls called.

"Bye," Deacon replied quietly, then reached forward and ended the call.

"Thank you," Rayna said as she reached forward and closed up the iPad. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Deacon looked over at her. "Can you go check on Scarlett? Make sure she's doing okay. I'm worried about her, Ray."

Rayna nodded. "Absolutely. Bucky has been taking care of the arrangements and I think Gunnar was going to take her to his house."

"You should go home, Ray," Deacon said. "There's lots of good people to look after me here."

"Yeah, I will," Rayna replied. "In a bit. I'm just...I'm not sure you're okay, Deacon."

"I don't want to talk about it," he answered. "Not now."

"Would you talk about it with someone else? They've got people here, on the floor. Going through something like this takes a lot out of you and losing someone at the same time-Deacon, we need you to stay strong, but that doesn't mean you can't let down your guard a little bit."

"I can't, Rayna," he started, his voice choking. "You're over there, wrapped up in that suit, and I'm here in this bed with all of these tubes and Scarlet''s heart is broken and my sister is dead. I can't begin to let any of those walls down. It's the only thing keeping me together right now."

Rayna nodded, her own eyes filling with tears. "Well, then I'm gonna sit down here in this chair until someone tells me I have to go."

She pulled the chair in the corner of the room as close to the bed as she could and sat down. "But you need to rest, Deacon, so close your eyes."

And there she stayed. And finally, he slept.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Chapter 10**

* * *

Rayna woke up when the night nurse came in to check on Deacon.

"What's that one?" she asked as the nurse added another bag to the IV stand.

"This is to treat the rejection," the nurse explained. "It's a steroid called Solu-Medrol. It's basically the same kind of medication as you'd take if you needed a steroid, like Prednisone, if that's something that you're familiar with."

Rayna nodded. "Is that the one that makes your face swell up?"

The nurse nodded. She moved over and pulled the sheets up to uncover Deacon's lower legs.

"Wow, I don't know that I've ever seen Deacon in hose," Rayna said as she moved over next to the bed.

The nurse checked his legs and feet, covered in support stockings. "We have all of our patients wear these after surgery. It helps with blood clots, but no one is a fan. The medication can cause swelling in his legs, so we need to watch that."

"Uh...Ray…" Deacon muttered and tried to roll onto his side, then groaned and opened his eyes.

"Sorry, babe," Rayna said as she walked over and brushed his hair back. "Didn't mean to wake you up."

"You doing okay, Mr. Claybourne?" the nurse asked. "You need anything?"

Deacon shook his head. "Can you send this one home? This bed isn't great, but that chair looks worse."

"He'll be fine, if you want to go get some sleep," the nurse assured Rayna.

"Is it a problem if I stay here?" she asked in response.

The nurse shrugged. "Not as far as I'm concerned."

"Okay, then," Rayna replied and went back over and settled down in the chair. "I can sleep just fine here."

Rayna sat for a few minutes watching as Deacon started to drift off again. The door opened up and the nurse came back in, this time with a blanket in her hands. She handed it to Rayna and then left.

Rayna pulled the blanket over her and tried to sleep herself.

* * *

She woke up the next morning when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.

_How is Dad?_

She quickly tapped back a message to Maddie that Deacon was doing okay, then got up and walked over to the bed where Deacon was still sleeping. His face was relaxed and he looked at peace. She stood there for another moment when the door opened and Dr. Rand walked in with several other people.

"Morning, Rayna," he greeted her.

"Do you need me to get out of your way, or may I stay?" she asked.

"You can stay, if it's okay with Deacon," he responded.

Deacon opened his eyes. "Yeah, it's fine."

The doctor raised the head of Deacon's bed so he was sitting up slightly. "Did you get some rest?"

Deacon nodded.

"He slept most of the night," Rayna offered.

"Good. The steroids can affect your sleep, so try to get it when you can."

"Is the medication working?" Rayna asked.

"Yes, the latest round of liver function tests looked much better and the fever is gone. We'll repeat the liver biopsy this afternoon, but it seems like you've been responding really well. Okay, let's take a look at the incision."

He lowered the head of the bed again and lifted Deacon's gown. Rayna moved up by Deacon's head to give them some privacy.

"This looks really good, too. Some seepage, so we'll keep the dressing on, but no signs of infection. And I think we can get rid of some of these tubes."

"Which ones?" Deacon asked. "Please say the two I hope you're going to say."

Dr. Rand chuckled and nodded. "Yes, we'll have them take out your NG tube and try you on some liquids and we'll get the catheter out."

"Does this mean he's going to get out of ICU?" Rayna asked. "You had said two days probably and this is three."

"I think we'll wait one more day," Dr. Rand replied. "Even though you're responding to the medication, I'd like to have you under closer observation for another day. But, once we get those tubes pulled, I would like for you to get up with the nurse and walk around the unit a little bit. We'll put the mask on you, this time rather than on all of us."

"Sounds great to me," Deacon replied. "Everything sounds great. This is really going well."

Rayna shot a look at the doctor.

"Definitely sounds like the steroids are working, Deacon. So, I'll send the nurse in and she can get you set."

"I'm just gonna go out and get some coffee," Rayna added. "Give you a bit of privacy."

"Nothing you haven't seen before," Deacon said, smiling. "But go get yourself some coffee."

Rayna followed the doctors back out into the hallway.

"Is he okay?" she asked once they were out of the room. "I mean, I'm glad he's feeling better, but he's sick and his sister died."

"It's the Solu-Medrol," Dr. Rand explained. "It will give him energy he didn't know he had, might make him act happy."

"How long will it last?" Rayna asked.

"We'll keep him on this dose for another day or so and then begin tapering down. He really is doing very well so far."

Rayna nodded. "Well, I better get my coffee and get back in there before he has his next great burst of inspiration."

* * *

Rayna came back a half hour later to find Deacon with her iPad sitting on the table in front of him, talking with Maddie.

"Hey," she said as she walked in and moved so she could see Maddie on the screen.

"Yellow is not your color, Mom," Maddie commented.

Rayna smoothed down the paper gown and touched the hat on her head. "Hey, I'm thinking this is definitely gonna be the look for next year's CMAs."

"I need to get to school, but can I come see you today, Dad?" Maddie asked.

Deacon looked over at Rayna and she shrugged.

"We're gonna do everything we can to make that happen, honey," Rayna answered.

They said goodbye and Deacon ended the call.

"Looking good, no tube in the nose," Rayna observed.

"Nothing down there, either," Deacon responded. "Although, now that I think about it, I have to pee."

"Nice," Rayna replied. "Would you like for me to get the nurse for you?"

Instead of answering, Deacon put down the side rail and swung his legs over the side. Before she could stop him, he stood up. Rayna moved to the bed as quickly as she could, catching him as he slid to the floor.

"Deacon!" she called out as they landed on the tile floor, his body on top of hers.

"Whoops," he replied. "Wow, I feel dizzy."

"That's why we call the nurse," Rayna replied. "You've been in bed for like a week. You can't just jump up and go to the bathroom."

"But I feel great," he replied.

"It's the drugs," she responded. "Okay, let me out of here and I'm gonna get help."

She pushed him over gently and crawled out from underneath him. As she got up to walk to the door she turned back.

"I should probably point out that those gowns don't cover anything in the back."

With the help of two nurses and Rayna, they go Deacon back off the floor, into the bathroom and then into the chair next to the bed.

"I was going to suggest a slow walk around the unit, but I think we've had enough adventure for the morning," the nurse said as she put a blanket over Deacon's legs. "Why don't we start with you sitting here for a while and then we move on to walking." She smiled at Deacon and Rayna and left the room.

"Sorry, I guess I just wasn't thinking," Deacon said after she left. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Rayna replied. "and you're on drugs."

Deacon shook his head. "I know, my head is so foggy. First the painkillers, now these steroids, I just can't really think."

"It's okay," Rayna replied. "Nothing for you to think about right now. Right now it's about healing and getting better."

"But we have stuff to figure out," Deacon answered. "Before this happened, we were at this point where stuff was kind of making some sense, but not really and then I'm here, in the hospital and you're here and I never wanted this, Ray."

"Never wanted what?" Rayna asked.

"You here, taking care of me again, like you used to."

Rayna sat down on the edge of Deacon's bed facing him. "Deacon, I'm not here because you need to be taken care of. I'm here because I love you."

Deacon looked down at his hands, his unencumbered hand rubbing across the tape holding the IV tubing in his other hand. After a moment he looked up.

"I love you, Deacon Claybourne. Until the day I die," she said, her voice solemn. "And there is no where else in the entire world that I want to be than with you. And…"

"And what?" he asked.

She smiled at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "And I'm not scared anymore. And I'm not afraid of the pain because this pain, of seeing you go through this and this loss we suffered, all of it. It's not breaking me, it's making me feel stronger and more in love with you."

"I'll never hurt you, Rayna, not if I can help it with every ounce in my body."

"I know," she replied.

"You have a cold, Ray? Sore throat? Measles?" Deacon asked.

She shook her head, smiling behind her mask.

"Okay, then get over here, take off that stupid mask and kiss me."

"I don't think that follows the rules," Rayna said.

"Screw the rules," Deacon replied. "When has that ever worked for us?"

She stood up and came over to him. "If you stand up, are you going to faint again?"

He started to push up from the chair.

"Stop, that's just too painful to watch," she ordered. She pulled the mask down from her face and came over to him, sitting on the arm of the chair. "Please, don't get up."

He looked at her, pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply.

Together. Stronger than apart. Forever.

FIN

_**And that's the end...of this story, at least. Thanks to all who read and left reviews and to my faithful beta, Beth Pryor for all of your input.** _


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